Why Study Philosophy? (Reason 632)

The Mellon Foundation is carrying an interview with investment fund manager Bill Miller (who made waves with a 75 million dollar donation to the philosophy program at Johns Hopkins University) on the practical--and not so practical--value of studying philosophy. From the interview,

I was recently giving a talk at a conference, and there was a speaker there who specialized in disruptive technologies and had a PhD in computer science. He described all the different technologies that would be changing significantly over the next 10 to 20 years and would upend the work force. During the audience Q and A, somebody asked, "If that's the case, what should we advise our children to do, because so many of the things that they would be trained for might become obsolete?”

Undergraduate Bioethics Essay Contest

The Center for Bioethics at NYU is pleased to announce its inaugural undergraduate essay contest. Undergraduate students from any institution are invited to submit a 2,000-2,500 word essay addressing a contemporary issue in bioethics (broadly construed). The winning essay(s) will be eligible to be published in the Medical Dialogue Review and win a cash prize. The essays will be judged by the faculty at the NYU Center for Bioethics.

Submissions should be sent to bioethics@nyu.edu by MARCH 1, 2019.

PRIZES: 1st place will receive $500 USD and 2nd Place will receive $250.

Additional information:

  • Author(s) must currently be an undergraduate.
  • Essays should be submitted in Word Doc format, double-spaced, and written in 12 pt font.
  • Submissions should be prepared for blind review and include a cover sheet with name, institution, and email address.
  • Submissions will be accepted until March 1, 11:59PM EST.
  • The winning essays will be eligible for publication in the Spring 2019 Issue of the Medical Dialogue Review.

"Agora" Series

A new column series in The New Statesman (UK) seeks to drag philosophy out of the ivory tower and into the marketplace of ideas. From the inaugural article's lede,

According to one founding myth, philosophy begins with an obstreperous old man being put to death for pestering his fellow citizens about the nature of justice and courage and other such virtues. Needless to say, execution is hardly an auspicious way to start a new academic discipline. But Socrates’ death, his characteristic doubt, and his tireless attempt to engage Athenians in dialogue tells us a great deal about the essence of human understanding.

The James McClellan Philosophy Essay Competition

Submission deadline: December 5th, 2018

The Philosophy program at TAMUCC is pleased to announce the James McClellan Philosophy Essay Competition. There will be a total of four prizes, two for lower and two for upper division courses. The award for each prize is $100.

We invite for submission papers which exhibit clarity of argumentation, rigor and philosophical insight. There are no length requirements, nor is there any restriction to any area of philosophy. For the lower division level, all current students who have written a paper in such a TAMUCC philosophy course are eligible to compete. For the upper division level, the entrants to the competition must be current philosophy majors or minors whose essay was written for a TAMUCC upper level philosophy course. No more than one essay per author will be considered across the two levels.

To enter, please submit a copy of your essay along with the assignment prompt to the following email address by December 5, 2018:

philwritingcc@gmail.com